Game Preview: Vees vs Hitmen
Published on January 17, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Penticton Vees News Release
The Penticton Vees carry a 10 game winning streak into their battle with the Calgary Hitmen tonight at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is 6:00PM. TICKETS
If you can't make it down to the SOEC, catch all the action on Victory+, Summit 800 AM and Summit 98.5 Summerland.
The Vees (25-9-4-3) picked up a 10th straight victory, 4-2 last night in Langley against the Vancouver Giants. The score doesn't really speak to the dominating fashion in which the Vees played as they outshot the Giants 47-17 and had given up only five shots after 40 minutes. Ethan Weber and Brady Birnie each had a goal and an assist to lead the way for the Vees.
The Hitmen enter Saturday's matchup 22-11-5-1. They dropped a 5-2 contest to the Kelowna Rockets last night. This is their second of a four game road trip. Calgary will return to Alberta to finish off the swing in Medicine Hat and Red Deer next week. The Hitmen sit in fourth in the Eastern Conference standings this season and are 6-2-2-0 in their last 10 games.
Vees Player to Watch: D Ethan Weber: Weber was the first Vees defenceman to hit 30 points last night. He has points in three straight games and seven points in seven games since the start of 2026.
Fast Fact: Doogan Pederson is two games away from 150 in his WHL career entering Saturday's contest.
HEAD TO HEAD: This is the only meeting of the season between the Vees and Hitmen. Penticton will travel to Calgary next season as part of their Alberta road trip that will happen every second season.
2025-26 Scoring Leaders:
Vees:
Jacob Kvasnicka- 53 points (22g, 31a)
Ryden Evers- 51 points (24g, 27a)
Brady Birnie- 44 points (15g, 29a)
Brittan Alstead- 35 points (14g, 21a)
Matteo Danis- 34 points (17g, 17a)
Hitmen
Kale Dach - 47 points (22g, 25a)
Julien Maze- 45 points (21g, 24a)
Andrei Molgachev- 31 points (15g, 16a)
Western Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2026
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